Spring cambering machine



. NVENTOR. Geo/ge R .129624Y @Mw/4&7 l TTO/VEY' 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Emmei4, 1949.; G. R. REED SPRING CAMBERING MACHINE Filed April 1l, 1947 uneM, i949. G, R, REED SPRING CAMBERING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledApril l1. 1947 INVENTOR. George R.Reed M Hume M, R949. G. R. REED29473345 SPRING CAMBERING MACHINE Filed April 11, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 3IN V EN TOR.

george R.Ree

Patented June 14, 1949 STATES @F'FliCE srRiNG CAMBERING ivriwiirirnvGeorge R. Reed,Gro'sse Pointe?Plark;l\[lch1.,as;*V

signor to Eaton Manufacturing: Con'pfsm'y;

Cleveland; Ollio,l a corporation ofv Ohio'2 Application April 11, 1947;srialNbf-riafsiis'i (ci: 26e- 4) S Claims.

'Iliis invention `relaises'to*'spririg-s vand xmore particularly;mechanism for y producing vcainloered leaf springs:l

Broadly" thefin'ventionicomprehends the provision of powerdriven'mechanisms f or automaticallyl handling leafll springf plates` throughthe stagesof'heating,-` camberig; andquenching in properly timedsequence for the substantially simultaneous l* production of twodifferent spring plates of high" quality' `vehicle leafv springs fromthe fiat pla-te tocarnbered state;

Itv hasbeenlthe'fgfeneral practice inv the past in theheating.;vcarr'rloering, I and* quenching of leaf spring plates' to employ manu-alhandling of the plates -in -the-"transporting ofv same through thefurnace, removal "-frorrr-the furnace, and delivery andinsertion totlieproper die forthe cambering thereof.- The-presentiriventionthrough4the provision of autom'atically4 operable mechanism effectivelyarrangedrelativeto aA single furnace and ltwo `dies having appropriatetiming controls therefor providesfortheproduction of twodifferentcamberedleafrspring plates from their fiat stagewhen"mar1`ually inserted in the furnace to finished,v camb'eredheat-treatedstage withoutanyfmanualfassistance; wherein the twodifferent plates`= eachy require a different die for thepropercamberingithereofi Anfobject-'of-thelinvention is the provision ofa machine" incorporating automatically operable mechanismforcarryingoutthe heating, cambering', andouen'chi'ngo f'leafspring plates in anefci'entand economical manner.

Another object of the inventi`on-isthe provision of mechanism'. fornautomaticallytransporting heatedlleafsprn'gs-froml af-heating furnace toa pair ofdiesfin 'alternating relation for the camberingandiquenching-ofYtheplates,l each of said dies receivingfdirent'platesfthan thev other die.

A` further' objectl oftheinvention is' the provisionVIV ofm'echa'nism iassociated with' f a heating furnace-and Ltwov dies for automaticallyconveying or transportingtvvofdierent'types of leaf spring plates--through" the heating furnace and fordliverixig-"the plates-'totheirrespective dies in alternate'rlationl'and'lordrly arrangement for thecanibeing!" and "quench-ing thereof.

A still furthery obect* of fthe' invention' is the provision of 'icombination" mechanismv for' automaticallyV carrying out" the heating,cambering, and" quenchingof twodifferent' types* of leaf spring plates*thi'ough"the utilization of a novel arrangement-cfa*singleheatingfurnace and two dies, one "'forf each' type of plate and `mechanismassociated With""th`ffuri1ace a'iiddies "for proper- 2 ly transporting vtherplatesithrough the'i furnace and thence alternately to the diesforthe camberin'g thereof whereinfth'e platesfaref loaded inpreari'a'ngdordrfinitheifurnac'efor coordinated deliveryby.' thiefvconveyingffmechanism to the prper diei Other` obj ects2-andfadvantagesofthe invention will: appearfi'initliefollowirig description taken in'Lconnectionwith; the.drawings;frming a part of `the specification; land-21 imwhiclr:

Fig.'1=isa fragmentary; p'artially'nV sectionalized, side'felevatiorialfview; ofi a #furnace and' automaticleaffspring;'platetransporting' anddelivery mechanisrnV associateci.-`therewith;v

Figi 2 is'iaift'op: plan''-viei'yfofi Fig: 1

Figi. 3l is. aside piani-view' of` mechanism for transf erringf the?s'elettedfn-leaf`4 spring? plates from the" rollersz. off the delivery`mechanism to. their res pectiveil die:

Fig.LV 4iisfiafragmentary; .side elevational view of.' a die'associated? Withethe'ffurnace and delivery mechanism;-

Fig. 5fisfa-fragmentaryendpian `'View of Fig. 3

Fig: 6 ai' partiallyr-broken r fragmentaryy end plan View of the rollermechanism of thefdelivery mechanism; i

Fig; '7v` isfafcrossesectional viewV of' the rollermechanismftakenthroughonesof the rollers;

Figur Sfis :a 'topplanvexvfoffthe'reversing mechanism 'for' th'e lcenten' section Aof rollers;

Fig: `9g is' ar fragmentary side' plan'y vi'evvk of the cam'mec'l'rar'i'ism:V forr the;v lifting? .meansv of thetransportingltmechanismeituatedin the furnace;

Fig. 101isfa fragrrieiiltariv/A sidef-plan 'viewof the ;cammechanismfor' axialln` moving:v the'- transporting? rnecliari-isrrrE4situated iin theffurnace;

Fig; -1f1' is "a-sidefpl'airivievffof th'eimicro-switch mechanismassociatedwith the` rollers' for controll-ing;l the delivery means Fig.:14fisa .top-planwviewiof thel spring-v plate pushenmeans *shewn'fin Fig:1-.

The finstantfinvention- :was e-devised'f o1' the 'purposeof providing anautomatic setiV up -for the heating; ,-camberings and quenching -offtWodifferent typescf 1eaf springplates; each-requiring a differentdie forthe camberingthereof through thel utilization of a fsingle-fh'ea-tingvfurnace and two4 diesffor the respective7^ different plates arrangedappropriately relative to l the*V furnace and having., incerporatedftherevvith.-` mechanism for transporting ,thef platesthrough thefurnace, mechanism" forfnlovrfg-thr plates from the furnace, mechanismfor moving the plates to delivery means therefor, mechanism foralternately delivering the plates in accordance with prearranged loadingin the furnace to their respective dies, and mechanism for inserting theplates in the dies, all of said operating mechanisms being automaticallyswitch or cam controlled to provide for the coordinated timed operationthereof. The mechanism for alternating the delivery of the plates totheir proper die forms the fundamental concept of this invention in thatit provides the connecting link between the furnace and dies permittingthe use of one furnace to supply two dies and, as such, consists ofrollers which are reversely rotatable by appropriate gearing, clutching,and controls therefor actuated by timing cams effective to causerotation of the rollers in one direction during one phase of operationfor delivery of one type of spring plate to one die and rotatable in theother direction for the delivery of another type of spring plate to theother die.

Referring to the drawings for more specific details of the invention, Irepresents generally a combination mechanism for the automatic handlingof leaf spring plates through the steps of heating, cambering, andquenching, comprising a heating furnace I2, a pair of cambering dies I4,associated with appropriate oil quenching tanks I6, a conveyor means I8arranged in the furnace for transporting the spring plates through thefurnace in orderly parallel alignment, mechanism for unloading theplatesfrom the furnace, mechanism 22 for pushing the plates down a suitableslide provided to delivery mechanism 24, said mechanism 24 providing foralternately moving the spring plates in one direction or another for`delivery to one die or another, a pair of mechanisms 26, each forassociation respectively with one of the dies for inserting the platesin the die for the cambering thereof, said dies I4, conveyor means I8,and mechanisms 20, 22, 24, and 26 all being power driven and controlledrelative to one another for the coordinated timed operation thereof.

The conveyor means I8 Which comprises horizontally arranged arcuatelyhorizontally` movable bars 28, cooperable with horizontally arrangedvertically movable bars 30 for transporting the spring plates in orderlyparallel arrangement through the furnace is more specifically describedin my copending United States application, Serial No. 715,747, ledDecember 12, 1946.

The unloading mechanism 20 includes a plurality of arms 3| movablethrough a limited arc effective to pick up the plate at the exit of thefurnace from bars 28 and 30 and deposit same at a point removed from thebars on slide bars 32.

The mechanism 22 for pushing the plates down the slide bars 32 afterremoval from the furnace after the heating thereof and for deliveringsaid plates to mechanism 24 comprises a plurality of pusher arms 34affixed at spaced points upon a longitudinally extended carriage 36arranged for sliding movement upon rollers 38 attached thereto alongrails or tracks 40 supported between the front 42 of the furnace and avertical support 44 mounted intermediate the quench tanks. The arms 34are adapted through the provision of suitable lever and linkage 46 to bepivoted in such a way that when the carriage is being pulled away fromthe furnace, the arms will be in dotted line position effective throughthe fingers 48 on the ends thereof to push the plates along slides 32arranged adjacent the exit from the furnace and mechanism 24. Theleverage and linkage 46 is actuated through power driver lever means 50pivoted at a point on a horizontal support 52 affixed to support 44effective during the movement of the carriage toward or away from thefurnace as the case may be to move the arms 31E to full line positionduring the course of movement toward the furnace and to dotted lineposition as it moves away from the furnace. With the arms in dotted lineposition, the fingers 40 thereof engage the plate deposited on theslides b y arms 3| and push the plate down the slides as the carriage isretracted from adjacent the furnace.

The alternate delivery mechanism 24 comprises a plurality of drivenrollers 54, 56, and 53 arranged in line with the axes of rotationparallel to one another, said rollers 54 comprising a group locatedcentrally of the rollers 56 and 55 and being driven by reversingmechanism 69 for rotation in either direction depending upon the phaseof motion to which the machine is set. The rollers 56 are associatedwith one of the dies I4 and one of the mechanisms 26 for positivecontinued rotation in one direction and the rollers 525 are associatedwith the other die I4 and mechanism 26 for continued rotation reverselyto rollers 56.

The mechanisms 26 each include arms 62 adapted to be belt driven from amotor 64 through gearing 66 along rollers 68 effective to pick up theplates delivered to the respective rollers 56 or 58 and deposit theplates in the appropriate die i4 with which the rollers and mechanismare associated between die faces I0 and 12. The course of the arms 62 isgoverned by movement along a reciprocating chain drive path and by anappropriate cam 'I4 driven from the motor 64 for effecting the liftingaction of the plates from the rollers in the course of their travel tothe dies; whereas a cam 'I6 together with a micro-switch 18, one ofwhich is associated with a set of rollers 56 and 58, operates to controlthe operation of the motor 64 relative to the timed function ofmechanism 26. Cam similar to cam 'I6 oppositely disposed from cam 'I6driven by the same gearing as cam 'i6 is operable in timed relation tomechanism 26 for the proper timed operation of die I4 after a springplate has been inserted the-rein. This operation comprises the closingof the die upon the plate for the cambering thereof as well as thesubsequent movement of the die to quenching position for the quenchingol' the plate in oil tank I6.

The rollers 54 are driven from a motor 82 through an arrangement ofgears and clutches 84, including a clutch 86 controlled by a cam 80 anda second clutch 90 controlled 4noy the cam 92 rotatable with the cam 88.The clutches 86 and 9i! are adapted to transmit power respectively byway or sprockets 94 and 96 to a double sprocket S8 having gearingconnection with one of the rollers 54, said rollers 54 each being gearedtogether by suitable drive and idler gears |00 and I02 respectively. Thecams 88 and 92 are driven from a source of power to be hereinafterdescribed and are arranged so as to effect alternate engagement anddisengagement of the clutches for the purpose of driving sprocket 98 inone direction or another depending on which clutch is engaged. Therotation of sprocket 98 is imparted to the gear chain |00 and |62 forthe rotation of rollers 54 by way of'rotatable gear |04 secured to theshaft of sprocket 98. It is to be noted in view of the arrangement ofgears |06, |08, and IIO, that upon alternate engagement of the clutchescavalerie and Lilli the -sprocket'sed an'clf-SEarelalternately;positively driven'revers'ely-to1'one anotherrwhere in the case ofclutcliben'sln'engagementland clutch et being in disengagement; thefsprocketlwill rotate idlywith .the Y rotation Fof' sprocket 94 because oi itschain drive relation Withspro'cket et and vice versalwitlilregardsato'-tliefengagement ci' clutch dei -andldisengagement' ofcltchBS Fig. 8 illustrates 'the arrangement of rollersi, and 58`respectively with'reg'ards to their-input drive means; and, as such;itfis totbeinotedfthat no driving relationexists:fbetweenltherespec-tive sets of rollers'.

The rollers te' are driveniromy` motor 82?- by an appropriate chaindrive'H 2'coupled to sprocket lliwhich in-turnfdrivesasha-ft upon'whichis secured a gear ||'-assoeiatedfor'driving relau tion with driveandidlergearsllf and Hill?V for driving the rollersin oneydirection'aslcontrolld by the direct operation ofy the motora' Iikewisethe rollers fidare driven1from-amotor |22=`which is drivingly connectedto a# sprocket gearf |24 similar to sprocket ||4-,` saidisprocket |24in'turn having a rotatable shaft |26afXed thereto supporting a rotatablegear|28 having association with ldrive and iidlergears'- |3'0 and|32`ffor ydriving the rollersV Edin accordancewithfthe-rotation of motor|22.

The rollers eiland 58`- ata1l-'tiines rotatevin unison with theirrespectivemotors- |2'2- and82, whereas the rollers Seare controlledfoi-'rotation in one direction or another depending'upon the desiredcontrol thereof:`

The rollers et'v are all-arranged with the exception ci the endtworollers on'each'side thereof with shoulders |34" away from the'rollersfor ie purpose of restraining thespringplates' from being shoved offthe4 rollers'when delivered there"- to after sliding down sliderbars^32` Thefroller's 53 are arranged with their shouldersk |34 with theexception of two of each set'adjacent rollers iiil disposed fromy thedies" and quench tanks so that it is possible-ior the `mechanisms 2t topick. the plates Aoff thefrollers"withoutthe necessity of lifting themover theshoulderst The adjacent pair ofr'ollers Strand 54 and58land`54are arranged opposite to one Janother and opposite to the rollers citheir'respectivesetsv for the purpose of guiding the plates as theyare`moved down the rollers and thus maintain them in alignment on therollers.

The conveyor |8;unloader mechanism '20,' pushing mechanism 22, and cams88 and 925 arci-all driven from a source'of power; not shown-throughpower transmitting shaft |36:

The horizontal bars-2tL and 30`are*control1ed respectively foroperation"` through appropriate levers and linkagev l38 beingengaged'by'cams ifi@ and |552" rotatable with shaft |36 forY the timedcooperative relation thereof.

The unloading arms 3| of mechanism 2||`fare actuated by suitable linksandlevers |44 Vincluding crank lever It derivingy motion" from aneccentric |58 affixed to the-shaft |36 for'rotation therewith.

The pusher mechanis'mf is operated lby way of lever Eil derivingmotionfrom'a'b'elt'crank and link arrangement lbelt driven from 'the'shaft Thecams d8 and 92 are: driven from agear le? having driving connection`witha gear |54 secured for rotation with the shaft |36:

Through the proper' arrangement or the :mech- Ydowri'- the slide ontorollers 5l? 6 is; attainedf such that the'v mechanisms2 operate inra:smooth-relation toione anotherin :the auto-I maticVV handling of springplates" from thefftime ofi deposita'4 onf thel conveyoruntilltnecompletion of," th'el quenching operation thereof.

The dies? Hlalthough of asimila/r nature'with respecttoltheirdisposition' on" oppositesidesrof the'furna'ce differV inv that'V` itis" the general` pur= pose to providev dies thathandle different? sitespring plates r for the camberin'g thereofv such; example;v asl.`aimainllea springf plate' and Aalumni ber;l f our 'spring f plate of aconventional automa; tive vehicle leafspring assembly.

Arte-rl the" dies-aref arrangedwith` respeetto tlierlfurn'aceflocationland platesfthat theyt'arfte handle,A iti is` thenl necessary f to'provide-ii for the operationoftherollers:r 5d a direction f ofrotation.` that'. willr conveyv the springl platei therein to theproper? placef for insertion'`1 ii'itolc one'l or theother of" diese IIl? lnaddition to=thisr it is necessary 'that the 'spring' plates' toibecarribered b'e'floade'd in proper -arid alternating relatienlo'ri the:`conveyor so that! thel plate wil-lmatchi the die -tc 1 which it' is tobeV delivered.` This fcanfbe accomplished by providingaidetectorilightatthe loading station which will infor-m1 the,I load'e`what plate is to be then placediin-the conveyor.

In a normal operation of the combination mechanism l0 wherein theheatingy elefmentsfoi thev furnace are placed in operation andth'e powertransmitting shaft isrdriven' from its-power sourcev thereby effectingoperation ofl thel conveyor I8" and` mechanisms 20,5 22; 24,5 and:` 2'6.

With r the conveyor in operation it is necessary for anlindividualitoload-'flat spring-plates` upon the conveyor bars v2&1 and'3' a1ternatingtwolsets of plates',` such as, ai main plate, number foi'ni plate, mainlplate, and-so on.- Inwloadingthe plates upon 7the 'conveyor it isnecessary? that fthe plates be deposited synchronously to 4theoperationvv of rollers 5tlso that the lprop'er 'plates-f will befdelivered to their respectivey dies and this canibeaccomplished eitherthrough the* knowledge-ofthe loader` or by means such as -aashei lightcontrolled vvby the f operation ofi` the reversing mechanism forthe'rollers 51|. After the l`proper loading of the platesfandtheirsubsequent1pasL sagethroug-hthefurnace to fbe heated; the. arms 32|1voill unloaded mechanism 20 liti-orie-plateiat va1. time M frombars .2B-anda (il): and deposits 1 saine on slides'v t2 adjacentthef'urriacefwhereupon the lingers 48- oniarms 34' of carriage:36`f'wh'ich is `coordinatedl for operation?- with l the conveyorandffmeohanismf'rle engage the plate and push'y it The'L rollers-r 5'4at this timeL will-"be coordinated! iorf operatienis'o that fthey willllce rotating `in the `proper `direction to transfer the heated`I plateto' its V- proper-v die lll-'- TheU plate. is thenmoved f onto rollers56 or 58e' as the case may be until itlmove's-toith'e end-ofl the setofrollers and abuts` ori-er ofi the micro-switches 'it said tripping offthe switch elrecting-operation of motorv S'Z-or H21? resulting irractuating arms 182 effective-to pickiup-'theplate frornlth'el'rollersAand depositit into fdi'e-f 4s Duringlthecourse of lthis operation the'rotationpf carni-'Flr' driven from motor' 6'4" provideslforftheprope-rlftirrg action of the arms to piekuplthe plate"landfsubseduentlyi deposit' -it 'on thedi'e' and return-ato theirl normalfposition,whereasfcam 3D1@ which is set relative tot the:` operation-'- ormechanism 25 trips ai switch |56,v said `switch in turn controlling the:operation of thelclesig uitheideupon the'depbstd plait/S a's'i-Wellasspring plate in oil tank i6. The cam I6 engages switch |53 effective tostop rotation of motor 64 after a completed operation of mechanism 26.

The next plate removed from the furnace and delivered to rollers 54 ismoved to the set of rollers opposite from the previous operation and alike process is carried out relative to switch control and mechanismoperation for the cambering and quenching thereof. This alternateconveyance and delivery of plates, one plate to one die and the next tothe other die and so on provides for the efficient, and economicalhandling, heating, cambering, and quenching of two different sets ofplates, each requiring an individual die for the cambering thereof,while only using one furnace for the heating of the plates.

The cambering and quenching of a plate of each set of leaf spring platescompletes an entire phase of operation of the mechanism.

While this invention has been described in connection with certainspecific embodiments, the principle involved is susceptible of numerousother applications that will readily occur to persons skilled in theart. The invention, therefore, is limited only as indicated by the scopeof the apd pended claims.

What I claim is:

1. Combination mechanism for the automatic handling of leaf springplates in the heating, cambering, and quenching thereof comprising aheating furnace, walking beam mechanism for transporting springs throughthe furnace in orderly and parallel array, articulating arm mechanismAfor retrieving the plates from the furnace and for delivery to a pointremoved from the furnace, a pair of spaced cambering dies arrangedforwardly from the exit of the furnace, a pair of quenching tanks, oneassociated with each die into which the respective cambered plates aremoved after a cambering operation, roller mechanism for del.

livering the retrieved plates alternately in opposite horizontaldirections to positions adjacent to the dies, and lifter and conveyingmechanism associated with each die for transferring the plates frompositions adjacent the die to the die, said mechanisms and dies allbeing power driven in coordinated timed relation to one another.

2. A machine for the automatic handling of leaf spring plates in theheating, cambering, and quenching thereof comprising a heating furnace,a plurality of cambering dies associated with and spaced apart from eachother and from the exit of the furnace, a plurality of quenching tanks,one associated with each of the cambering dies, walking beam mechanismassociated with the furnace for conveying the leaf spring platestherethrough that have been manually loaded thereon in prearrangedorder, articulating arm mechanism for retrieving the plates from thefurnace on" of the conveyor means one at a time after they have beenheated and depositing same adjacent the furnace exit, pusher means formoving the plates after retrieval substantially outside the furnace to afurther deposited location, roller means at the further location fordelivering the plates alternately to one side or another to a pointadjacent one die or another, and means for picking up the plates formthe delivery means and inserting the plates in the die with which theyare associated, said cambering dies conveying and retrieving mechanismsand means each being power driven in coordinated timed relation to oneanother.

3. Mechanism for carrying out the heating,

cambering, and quenching of leaf spring plates in an automatic mannercomprising a heating furnace having a horizontal passage therethroughbetween the entrance and exit thereof, a pair of cambering dies arrangedin spaced relation opposite the exit of the furnace, a pair of oilquench tanks one associated with each of the dies into which the platesare to be moved after a cambering operation, horizontally arrangedwalking beams means for conveying the plates through the horizontalpassage in the furnace in singular parallel array, mechanism fordelivering the plates singularly in alternate relation to one die oranother from the exit of the furnace comprising arm members forretrieving the plates from the furnace one by one after being heated,arm means for pushing the plates down a pair of parallel slide barsafter retrieval, roller means for receiving the plates after slidingdown the bars and delivering same in a horizontal direction to a pointadjacent one die or another as the phase of motion dictates, and pushermeans for picking up the plates from the delivery means and insertingsame in the dies, said dies, conveying means, and delivery mechanism allbeing operated in coordinated relation to one another in accordance withprearranged loading of the plates in the furnace on the conveying means.

4. Mechanism for the automatic handling of leaf spring plates in theconveying thereof from a heating furnace to two dies associatedtherewith spaced apart from one another comprising articulated arm meansfor retrieving the spring plates from the furnace after the heatingthereof, reciprocated arm means for pushing the plates to a positionbeyond the retrieved point, roller means for moving the platesalternately in one direction or another adjacent one die or anotherafter their retrieval from the furnace, and arm means operatingperpendicular to the roller means associated with the delivery means forinserting the plates into the die with which they are associated, saiddies and means all being power driven in coordinated relation to oneanother.

5. A combination machine for the automatic handling of leaf springplates in the heating,

cambering, and quenching of two different types of plates, eachrequiring a separate cambering die, comprising a heating furnace, twocambering dies, suitably spaced from the exit of the furnace, a pair ofquench oil tanks one associated adjacent and with each die, automaticwalking beam conveyor means for transporting the spring plates throughthe furnace in orderly parallel array, reciprocable mechanism forretrieving the plates from the furnace as they approach the exitthereof, mechanism for delivering the plates after being retrieved fromthe furnace to the dies for the cambering thereof comprising a pluralityof roller means arranged in a horizontal aligned array extending alongbetween and in front of the furnace exit and dies means for alternatelydelivering the plates adjacent the dies, reciprocable arm means forremoving the plates from the rollers and inserting the plates in thedies, means for actuating the dies and for moving the dies into theirassociated quenching tanks during the cambering operation, power meansfor actuating the conveyor means, mechanisms, and dies, and control camsand switches associated with the power means, conveyor means, dies, andmechanisms for the coordinated operation thereof.

6. Mechanism for the automatic handling of leaf spring plates in theconveying thereof from a heating furnace after the heating thereof totwo dies associated therewith and spaced therefrom and apart from oneanother in parallel array to the exit from the furnace comprising a pairof parallel slide bars extending from the furnace exit to a pointremoved therefrom, articulating arm means for transferring the platesfrom the furnace exit to a point on the slide adjacent the furnace exit,reciprocable pusher means for moving the plates down the slide bars, aplurality of rollers aligned side by side extending between the dies andacross and perpendicular to the slide bars, a number of said rollersrotatable in both directions for alternately moving the plates afterdelivery thereto to a point adjacent one or the other of the dies, andreciprocable arm means associated with each of the dies for transferringthe plates delivered adjacent the dies from the rollers to the dies.

7, Mechanism for the automatic handling of leaf spring plates in theconveying thereof from a heating furnace after the heating thereof totwo dies associated therewith and spaced therefrom and apart from oneanother in parallel array to the exit from the furnace comprising a pairof parallel slide :bars extending from the furnace exit to a pointremoved therefrom, articulating arm means for transferring the platesfrom the furnace exit, reciprocable pusher means for moving the platesdown the slide bars, a plurality of rollers aligned side by sideextending between the dies and across and perpendicular to the slidebars, a number of said rollers rotatable in both directions foralternately moving the plates after delivery thereto to a point adjacentone or the other of the dies, reciprocable arm means associated witheach of the dies for transferring the plates delivered adjacent the diesfrom the rollers to the dies, and means for operating in timed sequencethe articulating arms, pusher, reciprocable arm means, and the rollers.

8. Mechanism for the transferring of heated metallic articles from aheating furnace to a pair of spaced in line dies lying parallel to andspaced from the exit of the furnace comprising a plurality of rollersextending in alignment along and in front of the dies and furnace exitlwith their axes lying parallel to one another,

-slide bars extending from the furnace exit to a point adjacent acentral group of the rollers, said central group of rollers beingrotatable in both directions and the groups of rollers on either side ofthe central group being rotatable solely in one direction opposite toeach: other, a pair of articulating arms for picking the articles fromthe furnace and depositing. same at the end ofthe slide bars adjacentthe furnace exit, a pair of reciprocable arms for pushing the articlesdown the slide .bars to the central group of rollers, and a pair ofarticulating arms associated with each die for transferring the articlesfrom the group of rollers on one end associated therewith to the dies.GEORGE R. REED.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS- Number Name Date 1,713,137 Leck May 4, 19291,867,331 Shuhan et al. July 12, 1932 1,990,707 Moore Feb. 12, 1935l2,022,532 Beans Nov. 26, 1935 2,217,333 Dahlman Oct. 8, 1940 2,243,174Stevenson May 27, 1941 2,261,624 Inskeep Nov. 4, 1941

